Gun security is a crucial aspect of gun ownership, particularly in homes with children. In 1991, the U.S. Government General Accounting Office estimated that 8 percent of accidental firearm deaths it reviewed in 1988 and 1989 could have been prevented if the firearms had been equipped with a child-proof safety device. The GAO also concluded that a child-proof safety device could have prevented all firearm accidents reviewed in which children under the age of 6 killed themselves or others. See U.S. General Accounting Office, Accidental Shootings: Many Deaths and Injuries Caused by Firearms Could Be Prevented, March 1991, at 3. In 2009 there were 1,521 accidental firearm-related deaths in the United States and 83 of the deaths were of juveniles. See William J. Krouse, Congressional Research Service, Gun control Legislation, Nov. 14, 2012, at 11-12. In 1994, 44 million people in the United States, approximately 35% of households, owned 192 million firearms. By 2007, the number of firearms in the United States had increased to approximately 294 million. See id. at 8.
Typical solutions for providing gun security include trigger locks and gun safes. The fundamental weakness of such lock and key approaches is that the owner of the gun has to assume the security measures have not been circumvented. For example, a child or unauthorized person may have found the key or combination to a gun lock. As a result, the gun is no longer secure, but this fact is unknown to the gun owner or parent. What the gun owner really wants to know is that unauthorized people are not handling the gun. In addition, many guns are intentionally left unlocked so that the owner can have quick access to the gun in the event of an emergency. Where children or unauthorized persons might have access to the gun, the gun owner has an interest in knowing whether the gun has been handled. Therefore, there is an unmet need for a security system for guns that can prevent accidental firearm injuries and notify the owner if the gun has been handled, but ensures the gun is rapidly available for use in an emergency.